WWE: Randy Orton Criticized For Even Being A Heel As A U.S. Marine
Randy Orton is used to playing a WWE heel at this point, although some people claim the bad attitude follows him into his personal life, not just in the ring. For example, a very arrogant Orton did a selfie of himself blowing off the cops for pulling him over due to his illegally modded car. But one fan apparently touched a nerve when he claimed Orton had been dishonorably discharged from the United States Marines.
In a related report by The Inquisitr, the rumors claim we’ll see Randy Orton VS Roman Reigns for SummerSlam 2014 and it’s claimed the WWE star is receiving huge backstage heat for halting the Reigns’ push.
In the WWE, Randy Orton has been a prominent figure in the wrestling world since 2004, when he became the youngest man to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship title. Although he’s considered a face of the WWE now, for most of his 12 years he’s spent the time as a heel and he’s very good in that role, perhaps because he’s not the nicest guy in the world or maybe it’s just natural acting talent. But who else could have pulled off vandalizing the belongings of WWE Divas or kissing an unconscious Stephanie McMahon in front of Triple H?
Like many WWE superstars, fans can potentially have direct access to Orton through his Twitter account, although he does like to keep it short based upon this tweet:
“I don’t do Q&A’s. So stop asking. Try @ZackRyder or @HEELZiggler.”
But what really brought out the heel in Randy Orton was this tweet:
@RandyOrton DisHonorably Discharged Marine. Screw you dude. #Shame on you and Vince McMahon. Shame on you Dishonorably Discharged Marine
— Bill in San diego (@BillntwrkBill) July 31, 2014
Randy’s response was very much in character, assuming that’s what he was going for:
Bad Conduct Discharge, not Dishonorable. Fact check next time ya D bagRT @BillntwrkBill: @RandyOrton… http://t.co/WkDPZ0VRBv — Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) August 3, 2014
So what is the truth? The issue initially came up when the WWE management set up Orton to star in movie The Marine 3: Homefront, but this action outraged many in the U.S. Military. Prior to his wrestling career, Orton was court martialed and served 38 days in military prison before being kicked out.
Back in 2012, TMZ broke the story and a Corporal Mike Vinn, who had served in the Marines with Orton, was incensed that the wrestler had ever been considered for the role:
“I am disgusted that his face and the word Marine are being used next to each other — real or fake — because of the fact that he quit us, the country, and the Marine Corps. [Randy] in the role of a Marine is a disgrace to those that have worn and are wearing that uniform.”
The reason that Vinn stated this was because “Orton received a bad conduct discharge in 1999 after going AWOL on two separate occasions and disobeying an order from a commanding officer.”
Regardless, Randy defended his past:
@crazyabbi I respect our military. That’s why I’ve gone to Iraq or Afghan 3 times and met thousands of soldiers. Funny that’s not mentioned.
— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) April 7, 2012
To put things in perspective, even the WWE management realized that “the fact that he was dishonorably discharged from the USMC made it inappropriate for him to be cast in this film.”
Do you think WWE star Randy Orton should still be held accountable for his actions in the U.S. Marines that occurred when he was only 19 years old?
